1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an autonomous voice quality responder operating automatically as a voice quality test response unit without any external I/O control.
2. Description of the Related Art
A voice quality test (VQT) unit provides test and analysis capabilities for voice quality on telephony networks. The VQT may use a perceptual speech distortion metric (PSDM) to effectively test voice response systems (VRS). The VQT unit automatically initiates an off-hook condition and dials a VRS phone number over a telephone line. At the dialed phone number the VRS answers the phone call and sends an initial voice prompt to the VQT unit. A signal generator on the VQT unit generates sequences of DTMF tones that progress through the VRS according to a task list. The VRS responds with voice prompts that are recorded by a signal recorder on the VQT unit.
A telephone company central office generally includes various types of telecommunications equipment that are used to process calls routed through the central office. Examples of such telecommunications equipment include a local user switch, a host computer, the VQT, and a remotely controlled voice response unit (VRU). The calls routed through the central office may include voice signals routed between human users, data signals routed between machines (e.g., facsimile machines or computers), or voice/data signals routed between a human user and the VRU or the VQT.
In operation, the VQT transmits voice and/or data signals to the telecommunications equipment in such a manner as to simulate the calls that are typically routed through the central office. The VQT then detects and evaluates the response voice and/or data signals produced by the telecommunications equipment to determine if telephony systems are operating properly.
In one instance, a VQT server may be used to perform remote voice quality testing. The VQT server may be placed anywhere in the network at one location, for instance, Singapore, and another VQT server may be placed at another location, for instance, Denver, Colo. The VQT server may call itself, the VQT server can either make the call or accept the call. However, two VQT units are necessary to complete a point-to-point circuit where the endpoints are at a distance from each other, making the testing system very expensive. Typically, the VQT server uses a custom hardware depending on a type of interface using making the VQT server an expensive unit. The VRU, on the other hand, uses an off-the-shelf analog telephony card, thereby making the VRU a less expensive unit than the VQT and may be remotely controlled by an operator. The VRU includes two Ethernet cards, one allowing the VRU to be remotely controlled and the other Ethernet card to execute voice over IP calls.
Thus, to save costs, conventional systems would implement a VQT platform including the VQT server and one or two VRU units, which may be remotely controlled. Data obtained upon testing of the network, such as recording a voice stream between the VRU units, would be manually downloaded from the VRU units to the VQT server for analysis. However, at times, the telephony network to be tested would not be able to use the VRU unit as the network to be tested is in a foreign country, for instance, where a reliable Ethernet control connection is not available and the operator is unable to adequately control the VRU.
Accordingly, a VRU unit is needed that is low in cost and can effectively test a network without need of a manual control from the operator. Further, a VRU unit is needed that does not require a control connection so that the operator can control the VRU through a PC.